It's summer in Houston which means it's getting hot, quick. However, it's not only the temperatures that are rising but the cost of going out to eat and drink as well.

The COVID pandemic put many restaurants in jeopardy with the shutdown restrictions. Once those were lifted, restaurants were affected by both human and product supply chain issues. Then of course, there's the constant specter of inflation hanging over the country which means the hospitality industry is facing rising food costs and Americans are finding eating out to be more and more of a luxury.
Dining deals can be hard to find nowadays but there are still ways to enjoy some tasty bites and sips without breaking the bank. Happy hour specials provide inexpensive options for guests while bringing in business for restaurants during the slow period between lunch and dinner service.

My husband, Classic Rock Bob, and I found ourselves in the heart of Houston last week scoping out apartments with my daughter and her boyfriend. On our way home, we decided to check out the happy hour specials at Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar because the menu of slushee drinks and a variety of nosh was right up our alley.
Loro opened in the Heights in February 2022. It's one of four locations for the concept from Hai Hospitality with famed pit master Aaron Franklin (Franklin Barbecue) and renowned sushi chef and restaurateur Tyson Cole (Uchi, Uchiko) forming a culinary collaboration. The duo combined their strengths to create a menu of smoked meats and veggies, hit with Asian flavors like yuzu and Thai spices. There are two locations in the Dallas area plus the original in Austin.  A second Houston location is planned for 5333 Kirby soon.

Located in a former 1940s era church, the building is light and bright inside, thanks to the multitude of windows with a mix of pale and dark woods creating a natural and casual feel. We found a parking space easily in the restaurant's personal lot on a Friday afternoon. We suspect it might be a little more difficult for the weekend evening crowd. Entering through the open air patio, we were greeted by misters going full blast though no one in their right mind was sitting outside in the 99 degree heat.
The architecture of the former church is still evident with the cathedral ceiling and the arched windows, now sporting clear panes rather than stained glass. Loro is counter service; not my favorite way of ordering but it's more and more common in the current restaurant scene. Guests can scan the QR code at each table, then order from one of the bartenders doing double duty behind the bar. There's no time for idle chit-chat in this set up. There are a couple of laminated menus at each order station as well.

The long bar itself was fairly full so we grabbed one of the booths against the wall. I went to the bar and gave our food and drink order, then a credit card machine was handed to me for payment and gratuity. The bartender took two snifter-style goblets, poured in the booze, then filled them with their respective frozen slush from the machines lining the back wall.
I took the drinks and the puck with our number on it back to the table. My husband had ordered the Rum Colada while I chose the Frozen Sangria. The Colada was creamy and dreamy with a hint of cinnamon. I had expected something similar to a pina colada but this was basically the restaurant's non-alcoholic Pina Horchata with a large pour of rum. It is wise to stir the frozen drinks before drinking as I realized after sucking a rather large amount of spirits in my first sip.

The Frozen Sangria was a fruity and refreshing summer sipper. It would be hard to pick which was my favorite. At $5 apiece, happy hour customers can sample quite a few.

A staff member brought out a couple of our food items. The Green Curry Hushpuppies shareable had about ten pups, perfectly fried and served with a side of Loro's Yuzu 1000 Island. Lately, I have had a number of hushpuppies that were more on the bread-y side. These were dense cornmeal balls more reminiscent of traditional hushpuppies except that they had a sweet flavor from the green curry specks throughout. They were garnished with sprigs of cilantro as were the Pork Tostadas that we ordered. The accompanying dip was similar to a remoulade so the hushpuppies were like a Thai version of a Cajun favorite.

On the regular menu, the hushpuppies are served with a coconut-chili ranch sauce. We aren't sure why they have a different sauce for the happy hour hushpuppies but it works. For $5, it's a nice app to pass around the table. If your companion is a bread freak like mine is, you might want to snag your share of pups first before they're all gone. I learned that lesson the hard way.

I got my revenge by sipping on his Rum Colada while he made a trip to the restroom.
We then dug into our Pork Tostadas. The sweet and smoky pulled pork was mounded in the middle of two crisp corn tortillas. We divided it among the tostadas and it was easily enough meat to make one more tostada. It was garnished with crema and lightly pickled red onions. A little of the shishito salsa verde fell off my shell onto the plate and I scooped it into my mouth. It was sweet and herby and I wish there had been a little more on my tostada. For $7, this was a spectacular plate to split with a companion. That works out to $3.50 a tostada. Think about that next time you eat a crappy fast food item. You could be eating tender smoked pork instead.
The burger we ordered to split soon arrived and it was a pretty sight to behold. The Caramelized Onion Cheddar Burger was a potato bun loaded with arugula leaves and plenty of the Yuzu 1000 Island sauce. Though I am not a fan of arugula normally, the greens here did not have much of a bite so I barely even noticed it, probably due to the sauce. If there was cheddar on the burger, I didn't taste it as well. Which was fine because the meat itself was the star of this sandwich. Cooked on the rarer side of medium, the patty was slightly charred and smoky on the outside and tender and juicy within. I was surprised that the sauce didn't overpower the meat as often happens with 1000 Island dressing. The addition of citrusy yuzu adds a brightness to it and Loro's version is thinner than some "secret sauces" which is a-okay by me.

The Caramelized Onion Cheddar Burger is $8.50 on the happy hour menu and $13.50 on the regular menu, which is still a deal considering the quality ingredients. The restaurant is also known for its Loro Cheeseburger, a whopping sandwich of prime beef patty topped with onion-brisket jam, muenster cheese, Yuzu 1000 Island and lettuce. It was voted Best Burger in the Houston Press's Best of Houston: 2022. I may have to give that a try next time even though it's not on the happy hour menu.
I sent CRB up to get another round of drinks. I tried to convince him to try something different seeing as I was reviewing the happy hour specials but he could not be persuaded from his Rum Colada. I, however, picked the Mango Sake as my next frozen cocktail. It was good but it was not my favorite of the three drinks we tried. If we were staying longer, I would have chosen the Yuzu Spritz or the frozen Vietnamese Coffee. The happy hour drinks list also include its Frozen Gin & Tonic or the zero-proof Pina Horchata. For a fiver, you can't go wrong whatever you choose. There are also a few beer, wine and sake specials.
The crowd that day at Loro was pretty laid back, a mix of people ranging in age from 20s to 50s. Though happy hour generally is thought to be for the after-work folks, the customers this Friday afternoon didn't look as if they had come straight from the office. It was early, yet, and maybe that crew would be following. I couldn't convince Classic Rock Bob to stay for another drink due to his aversion to rush hour traffic so we left, feeling as if our stop at Loro had been a great decision.

The quality ingredients really make the food stand out. Both the smoke and the use of Southeast Asian flavors were subtle in the items we ordered. There are certainly more smoked meat choices and Asian dishes such as its Rice Bowls on the regular menu. Still, the happy hour menu offers four different sandwiches including the Crispy Smoked Chicken, Thai Curry Sausage and Pulled Pork. For bar bites there are Smoked Wings, Smoked Salmon Dip and a Chilled Ginger Noodle Salad in addition to the hushpuppies and tostadas we tried.

The frozen drinks were like adult Slurpees and perfect for a summer day. For around 50 bucks, we had a couple of frosty cocktails and enough food to make it an early dinner. With a recorded Dateline episode awaiting us at home, we made our way back to the 'burbs, happy and full.

Loro Asian Smokehouse & Bar
1001 W. 11th
713-930-2326
loroeats.com